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Maine Disaster Aid Over $2 Million For April Storm

SCARBOROUGH, Maine -- More than $2 million in assistance has been approved for Maine following the severe storms and flooding resulting from an April Nor’easter.

Individuals in six Maine counties are eligible to apply for federal disaster assistance. Cumberland and York counties were first declared eligible to apply for aid on May 9. To date, 1,652 households in the two counties have registered (Cumberland – 843, York – 809). Eligibility for individual assistance was expanded to include Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc and Oxford counties on May 24. An additional 140 households from those four counties have since applied bringing the total to 1,792 for the state.

FEMA has approved more than $1.06 million to 801 applicants for assistance to individuals and households. Housing assistance covers rental assistance, temporary lodging, and grants for home repairs not covered by insurance. Individual assistance covers personal property loss, medical or dental costs and other significant disaster-related expenses.

Public Assistance funds have also been made available to 13 Maine counties for infrastructure damage since President Bush first approved a federal disaster declaration on April 25. FEMA has received 304 Requests for Public Assistance (RPAs) and obligated $308,195 to local governments, state agencies and certain private nonprofits for costs incurred from emergency response or damage to public property.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved low-interest disaster loans totaling more than $708,000 for homeowners, businesses and renters. To date, 1,368 home loan applications and 312 business loan applications have been issued. The SBA is operating a Business Assistance Center in Portland.

Individuals, families and business owners in one of the six eligible counties who suffered losses between April 15- 23 as a result of this storm are encouraged to register for assistance by calling toll-free 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week or register online at www.fema.gov.

FEMA continues to operate Disaster Recovery Centers throughout the six declared counties where individuals with questions about disaster assistance may meet with recovery specialists in person. The application deadline is July 9.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

The Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has statutory responsibility for statewide coordination of emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. MEMA is a bureau of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.